


Hugs/Cuddles

by FireFaceOutlook



Series: SaboAce Week, 2018 [1]
Category: One Piece
Genre: Alternate Universe - Magic, Alternate Universe - Supernatural Elements, M/M, Mild Gore
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-21
Updated: 2018-03-21
Packaged: 2019-04-05 09:31:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,752
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14041281
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FireFaceOutlook/pseuds/FireFaceOutlook
Summary: “Okay, I think I'm finished,” the blond finally said.“Youthink?”  Ace repeated, looking vaguely unimpressed as he took a long drag of his cigarette.Sabo ignored him as he dropped the empty spray-paint can into his bag, where seven more equally empty cans rested.  The graffiti took him about an hour to create, and it was a pain to hold an illusion over the alley the whole time, but now that he was done, he could trigger the spell and they could finally sleep.





	Hugs/Cuddles

**Author's Note:**

> **A/N: Welcome to Day 1 of SaboAce Week, 2018! I hope you enjoy this series!**

“Are you just about done?” Ace drawled from the mouth of the alley.

“Just about,” Sabo promised, not looking away from his work. “Don't rush me.”

The brunet groaned, dragging a wrinkled pack of cigarettes out of his pocket. He slipped one between his lips, lighting it with the flame he summoned on the end of his finger. Sabo couldn't resist glancing over when he saw the light dancing out of the corner of his eye. In the flickering orange glow, Ace's eyes were normal, _human_ – a warm, golden brown. When the fire was snuffed out with a wave of his hand, his eyes were silver-on-black, glowing softly in the dark – a true testament to his demon nature. Sabo tore his gaze away to finish his work before Ace got too impatient.

“Okay, I think I'm finished,” the blond finally said.

“You _think_?” Ace repeated, looking vaguely unimpressed as he took a long drag of his cigarette.

Sabo ignored him as he dropped the empty spray-paint can into his bag, where seven more equally empty cans rested. The graffiti took him about an hour to create, and it was a pain to hold an illusion over the alley the whole time, but now that he was done, he could trigger the spell and they could finally sleep.

“Can I borrow your knife?”

Ace took the blade out of the sheath at his hip, tossing it over. The sheath slid into Sabo's hand, charmed to assist anyone Ace considers a friend. Sabo only had to cut his finger, pressing the bleeding wound to the center of the artwork. The paint glowed briefly, illuminating the word “ _ **praesidio**_ ” that he'd inked into the wall. Then the light faded, taking the image with it, leaving the wall as blank as it was when Sabo began working. Despite how little blood he had to use and the assistance of the full moon, the drain in his magic reserves made him feel lightheaded. Fortunately, Ace was there to steady him, cigarette stomped out on the ground.

“Alright, let's get inside.”

A single glance from Ace had the bag and spray-paint cans turned to a smoldering pile of ashes – hellfire, they found, was a very useful way to get rid of evidence – that they kicked to scatter before they entered the motel. Their room was on the other side of the wall that Sabo magicked, so while the spell affected the whole building, it was most prominent where they were sleeping. (Sabo learned that tidbit from experience; it's an good fact to know when on the run.)

Once they were in the room, where their bags of supplies sat under Ace's bed, they made a beeline for the bathroom. Sometimes they had time to soak in a bath (if it was available) and relax for a while, but they were both exhausted from almost non-stop traveling for over two weeks, so they just took a shower. Sabo helped Ace reach his back and had the favor returned, the water at their feet turning a milky off-white color as Sabo's magic was washed off. When they stepped out of the shower, they both looked worse-off than when they got in.

Sabo's hair was choppy and uneven in length, wildly curly and short like when he was a child. He glanced in the mirror as he passed it by, recalling the many times he had to take Ace's knife to his blond strands. Having fairy blood in his veins meant he recovered quickly from many things, from poison to physical injuries, and that recovery extended to his hair, so he had to cut it often. (He kept it neat, at first, but now he just sawed it off when he had to, not really caring about his physical appearance.) However, his human ancestry “muddied” his fairy blood, and so the recovery process was slowed considerably when compared to pure-blooded fairies. He still had a bruise across his cheek and collarbones, and an almost-healed abrasion on his ribs. All in all, though, he was fairly decent at manipulating his own body and soul energy, making his skin harden in an armor-like manner and avoiding injury, so he was mostly just tired from his body's constant state of healing. It was noticeable, since no matter the hours of sleep he got, the bags under his eyes grew and his skin remained pallid instead of iridescent.

Dressing himself in boxers and an undershirt, he was more than ready to collapse on the bed and sleep for however long he can. He returned to the bathroom instead, though, when he found that Ace had yet to leave it. Looking at Ace was hard, though Ace likely found looking at himself to be even more difficult. He was also recovering from wounds, though his were much worse than Sabo's, and the process was much more painful because it wasn't natural. Ace was hunched over the sink, gripping the sides hard enough to crack the stained porcelain, and Sabo held his breath as he moved to stand behind his partner, ready to catch him should he pass out. From his new position, he had an open view of the worse of the wounds.

Ace had a hole in the center of his torso. Through it, Sabo could vaguely see his face in the mirror. He could also see the side of Ace's heart, pulsing sluggishly, charred black. He tried not to focus too much on the bone and muscle reforming slowly as Ace panted. The edges of his wound glowed hot with heat as he forced it closed; the hole shrank, and the burn scar around it grew. The process was slow, Sabo knew, because Ace had been working on it for over a month now, and he had to stop almost as soon as he began every time. Sabo wrapped an arm around Ace's shoulders once he knew that the brunet wasn't going to continue burning himself up and helped him out of the bathroom. 

They went to the bed, Sabo having to help Ace with his boxers because he didn't want to move anymore. (Sabo knew the feeling all too well.) He crawled onto the bed with Ace, not bothering to try and free the blanket because Ace worked well as a personal heater.

“Goodnight,” he mumbled, resting his head on Ace's shoulder as a tan arm wound around his waist.

“Night.”

Though they fell silent after that, neither of them could quite drift off yet. In the few hours before the sun rose, sitting in the darkness, they could pretend that they had a semi-normal life. Sabo dug his ice-cold toes into the hollows on the back Ace's knees, and Ace ran his hand gently over Sabo's side, able to feel every individual rib even though he knows – has made sure – that Sabo is eating enough every day. They were in their own bubble of peace as they finally succumbed to sleep.

  


Ace always woke with the sun, even after his near-death experience. Sabo usually did, too, but when he was healing, he slept longer while his magic restored itself. (The process was apparently faster when he wasn't conscious; Ace didn't really know much about fairies, despite knowing Sabo for a long time.) There wasn't a lot of light coming through the closed blinds, but Ace didn't need it to see anyway. He spent the next half hour watching Sabo sleep, resting his hand on the other's back and feeling him breathe – it was soothing.

There was no in-between when Sabo rose for the day; he was either asleep or he was awake. So one moment, Sabo was resting peacefully, and the next, his blue eyes were open and locked onto Ace's face, not a single trace of sleep remaining in his expression.

“Morning,” Ace whispered.

Sabo hummed, pushing himself onto his knees. Ace let his arm fall to the bed as the blond reached over the edge of the bed, grabbing one of the bags and pulling a makeshift make up case out of one of the pockets. He turned to Ace, who sat upright and closed his eyes as Sabo began marking his skin with magic ink. He usually finished quickly, having to do this every morning since they were separated from their friends, but he paused abruptly at the hollow Ace's throat and the brunet opened an eye, finding Sabo staring at his chest, gaze far away.

“Hey,” he said, “are you alright?”

Sabo's eyes flickered before he nodded once, firmly, so Ace didn't continue prying. Sabo finished his work and dug his teeth into the scabbing wound on his finger, reopening it and pressing the blood into the ink on Ace's chest. He looked down when Sabo removed his hand and found the hole in his chest was gone, along with the accumulated scars – or rather, they _appeared_ to be nonexistent. He could still feel the air passing through him uncomfortably, but the illusion would allow them to avoid too much attention, since Ace avoided wearing too much on his torso to keep from irritating it. Sabo passed the case to Ace, who dipped his fingers into the black ink and began to mark Sabo in return. It took him longer, since his magic was much different from Sabo's and he didn't need to use substance like paint or ink to cast spells; fortunately, he was a quick learner, and it only took a few days to get the hang of it. When he finished, he guided Sabo's sluggishly bleeding finger to the ink lines and watched as his friend's unearthly beauty dimmed enough that it wouldn't draw everyone's attention. Sure, humans couldn't see Sabo as Ace could, but fairies still stood out in a crowd.

The two finally got up, then, and dressed. Ace finished first, forgoing a shirt as usual, and opened the door as Sabo came up besides him. They gazed outside, neither moving to leave the motel. Sabo exhaled heavily, shoulders hunching, brows furrowing. Ace reached over and pulled Sabo into a tight embrace.

“I know,” he said in reply to the wordless complaint. “I don't want to leave either. But if anyone is nearby, they'll find this place eventually. Luffy and the others can see the remains of your magic; we'll find each other soon.”

“I hope so...” Sabo took a deep breath and pulled away, straightening and clasping Ace's hand. “Let's keep going, then.”

The door closed behind them as they crossed the threshold.

**Author's Note:**

> **A/N: I kind of rushed the end, but I wanted to get it done on time, and I think it turned out okay. Maybe I'll turn it into a full-blown story! I hope you enjoyed!**


End file.
